The Juvenile Instructor Office: The Growth of Specialized Publishing in Utah in the 1880s

by Craig S. Smith

Forthcoming early Fall 2025 in quality Smyth-sewn hardcover.

• “A vital asset to the growing field of book history and bibliography within Mormon Studies.” — Robin Scott Jensen
• “A major accomplishment culminating from Smith’s decades of book collecting and study of the Juvenile Instructor office.” — Gregory Seppi
• “This is a collector’s dream to read the history and see all the known examples of books published by the Juvenile Instructor Office.” — Chris Bench

Book Description:

Discover the untold story of a pioneering force in Western American publishing. In The Juvenile Instructor Office: The Growth of Specialized Publishing in Utah in the 1880s, Craig S. Smith uncovers the vibrant, largely overlooked history Mormonism’s early publishing ventures in nineteenth-century Utah. At the heart of this transformation was the Juvenile Instructor Office—a small but ambitious press that evolved from a youth's magazine into one of the largest Mormon publishing operation of its time. With vivid historical detail and engaging narrative, Smith traces how George Q. Cannon and his successors built a powerful cultural institution that shaped the reading lives of a growing faith community amid national scrutiny and local challenges.

Part history, part annotated bibliography, and wholly enlightening, this book also provides an extensive catalog of the office’s diverse publications—from Sunday School cards to bound catechisms and spiritual treatises. Ideal for historians, bibliophiles, and anyone interested in the intersection of faith, media, and regional identity, The Juvenile Instructor Office offers fresh insights into how one press helped define the literary voice of a people. It’s a vital addition to the study of both American religious publishing and Utah’s cultural development during a pivotal era.

Praise for The Juvenile Instructor Office:

“This volume will be a vital asset to the growing field of book history and bibliography within Mormon Studies. Smith has done a Yeoman’s task of compiling a vital reference volume that will remain near other similar bibliographical references for years to come.” — Robin Scott Jensen, Church History Library

“The Juvenile Instructor was established in 1866 as a new journal for younger members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its founder, George Q. Cannon oversaw the growth of the Juvenile Instructor Office into the primary unofficial printing arm of the Church in the nineteenth century. Author Craig Smith rightly credits much of the organization’s growth and success to the efforts of Cannon’s nephew George C. Lambert and his son Abraham H. Cannon, who handled the management of the Juvenile Instructor Office as it became a major publisher of ‘home literature’ in the 1870s and 1880s. Smith successfully charts the inner history of what would become the Deseret Book Company from its earliest years into the first decades of the twentieth century. This work is a major accomplishment culminating from Smith’s decades of book collecting and study of the Juvenile Instructor office, and its accompanying bibliography will be a valuable aid to collectors and students of early Church printing in Utah.” — Gregory Seppi, Curator, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University

“Once again Craig Smith’s meticulous research carefully explains the history of this largely unknown period in publishing in Utah. This is a collector’s dream to read the history and see all the known examples of books published by the Juvenile Instructor Office.” — Chris Bench, Benchmark Books

About the Author:

Craig S. Smith is a retired archaeologist living in the Salt Lake Valley. He is an avid book collector mainly focused on Utah and the Mormons, and especially interested in nineteenth-century printing in Utah. He has collected items published by the Juvenile Instructor Office for the past twenty-five years.

More Information:

289 pages
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-58958-818-9